Even though there is still almost a month until summer hits, we’ll get a taste of it on Memorial Day — a day off that’s filled with fun in the sun. Whether you’re gathering friends in your backyard, at the beach or at a campsite, make this holiday special with a memorable, flavor-packed party.

Instead of just throwing hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill and buying some macaroni salad, pump things up with barbecue ribs, charred vegetables and savory sides that everyone will be talking about all summer. To achieve this level of greatness, we turned to our favorite stars who know a thing or two about throwing a celebrity-worthy bash. Check out some tips and tricks from Tiffani Thiessen, Tia Mowry, Haylie Duff and more below, and get ready to fire up that grill.

Backyard barbecues conjure plenty of cravings: lemonade, hot dogs, pasta salad, cold beer. But all are mere supporting cast members for the summer star, the burger. At the heart of nearly every barbecue is a grill full of sizzling patties. The all-American classic is a blank canvas for relishes, vegetables and other condiments. Once you’ve mastered Cooking Channel’s 6 tenets of burger deliciousness, try these new-style masterpieces.

1. The B-and-B “Bash Burger” (pictured above)Take a page from three-time Burger Bash victor Josh Capon’s grilling playbook and spruce up your patties with onion-studded bacon jam and Sriracha-laced special sauce for a winner at your next summer party.

Meatless Monday is a global movement, a way of life. It’s not a campaign to turn everyone in the world vegetarian or vegan; in fact, many involved are meat-lovers. Eating less meat has been proven to reduce the risk of disease, curb obesity and has important environmental impacts, too. Will you join us in giving up meat, just for one day a week?

There are so many ways to make vegetables a part of our summer meals: as refreshing side salads, satisfying mains or the stars of our backyard cookout, like this stellar Monster Mushroom Burger from Bobby Deen. The earthy portobello “patty” is far tastier than any frozen faux-meat alternative, and takes just as little time to prepare. Brush the caps with balsamic vinegar, toss them on the grill and in a few short minutes, the flame-kissed fungi will absorb the wonderful smoky aroma of the grill. Combined with baby arugula, onions, tomatoes and red peppers — plus creamy rosemary-lime mayo — the umami-filled sandwich may just become your go-to burger this season.

I’ll be the first to admit that cauliflower isn’t taking home first place for sexiest vegetable in your cart. It’s stark white, oddly bulbous and belongs to a family of vegetables classified as cruciferous. Woof. But, hidden inside those dense ivory florets is a ton of flavor with a gilding of abundant vitamins and minerals. So go ahead, embrace the cauliflower. Put a little lipstick on it and try serving cauliflower steaks (now that sounds sexy.)

When I say “steak,” what we’re going for here is a cross-section slice taken from the center of the vegetable. Since cutting through the core along with some florets is key to keeping the steak intact, you’re only going to get about four of them out of a large head of cauliflower. The florets that fall away are still perfectly good for whatever other cauliflower preparations you may dream up, so hang onto those for later use. I find it most effective to cut any green leaves away from the bottom and put the vegetable on the cutting board stem side up. Now that you can see where the center actually is, it’ll be much easier to slice through it, ensuring you get a nice core sample to keep each steak intact.

It’s no secret that I miss my grill from the suburbs. But even city dwellers have a couple options for achieving the authentic flavor of a BBQ dinner (including indoor grilling). Just because that grill isn’t on your back patio (if you have one), it doesn’t mean you can’t spend a sunny summer day grilling outdoors. We love living in Brooklyn, especially near the new Brooklyn Bridge Park — it’s an amazing public space that continues to get better every year. One recently opened feature is the Picnic Peninsula, which has a ton of hibachi-style grills and picnic tables. We’ve been trying to get there all season for a good old-fashioned city BBQ and finally made it happen this past week; the experience was one of our best this summer. I learned a few things my first time barbecuing on-the-go that you’ll want to keep in mind if you’re ready to plan your own city adventure.

Though the air is growing noticeably crisp and Labor Day seems to mark the official end of summer, by my account it’s still grilling season until I’m in my winter coat. So turn to the coals this weekend, and fire up your grill to prepare more than just your conventional steaks and burgers. Meat lovers and vegetarians alike can appreciate the charred, smoky flavor of the grill on anything from fruits to flatbreads.

There’s a classic riddle about a father arriving late to a summer barbecue with his son. He asks the grill master for a well-done hamburger for the boy. The grill master says, “He doesn’t want that; my son only eats burgers medium rare.” See, the grill master was the kid’s mother! We might have the specific details of the riddle mixed up, but the point is female chefs are now (wo)manning the fire all over the world. Tonight at 10pm ET, watch Cooking Channel’s Grill Girls about some of the women who are discovering the thrill of the grill.

We’ll follow an all-women’s barbecue team hoping to make a name for themselves on the BBQ circuit. Then we’ll look at why women are moving their cooking to the back yard.

To fire up excitement for the premiere, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite grilling recipes from our top female chefs. Get the recipes after the jump.

These Crispy Tuna Cake Sliders are a great lighter alternative to the classic burger.

When it comes to grilling, Burger is King. It always seems that when people gather, stomachs and minds in grilling mode, they can’t help but salivate over that delicious patty they’re about to layer on a bun with their favorite toppings, slather in sauces and sink their teeth into. These days, though, everyone seems to be on one special diet or another, or eager to venture beyond their burger-comfort zone. How do you please an entire crowd when one person is watching their cholesterol, another is vegetarian and half of your guests are bored with beef burgers?

We feel your pain and are here to help. Check out some of these alternatives to the classic burger. Use them as recipes and inspiration to please your crowd of hungry friends: